Finding time to work out frequently AND have an ultra-clean diet is hard work. If you’re not at that stage where you can find time for both, here are a few inexpensive and time efficient tips to introduce to your household. Who knows, this could kick-start that well-rounded healthy lifestyle we all strive for.

Portion Control

Pack up your large main plates, and replace them with a smaller, medium sized alternative. Get rid of the sentimental, but large “I Don’t Do Mornings” coffee mugs. The more plate and cup you have to fill, the more you’re likely to overeat, and drink more coffee/pop than you need to.

Portion out your meals using measuring cups or a kitchen scale, and adhere to serving guidelines. You’ll know exactly how much you’re eating, and drinking, and what’s actually going into your meals.

You’ve probably heard that the ideal daily eating habit is to eat 4-6 small meals, every few hours. This is very true; you only have to eat enough to keep your engine running.

Prepare Meals In Advance

Pre-prepare meals once or twice per week. By blocking off a few hours out of your day each week, you’ll refrain from popping into the take-out place after a long day when you know something delicious is already prepared when you come home. Have a big family, small freezer? Buy a stand-alone unit, and pack it.

One of the main reasons for a poor diet is that people don’t enjoy cooking. Why waste 30-40 minutes preparing a meal you’ll eat in 5 minutes? By freeing up time each week, you’ll slowly start to enjoy the process of meal preparation. Make it a family event by getting your partner and kids involved.

Turn Off the TV

The stimulants you receive in doing this, slows down the connection your stomach has with the brain to let it know you’re full, and you end up eating more than you need to. I’ll also hazard a guess that sometimes, like me, you gulp it down, and shout (Edit – he actually asks very nicely - V) for seconds before you’ve even reached the first commercial break.

Plan your G-shopping trips

It’s tempting to put off grocery shopping for that extra few days and simply eat all-in-one pancake mix and canned tomatoes for each meal, but even though your pantry may still have 10 jars of pickles and pasta sauce left, your veggie crisper needs regular replenishing.  Staying out of the grocery store for more than a week will see you cutting back drastically on the amount of fresh produce you consume.

(Unless you’ve jumped on the food delivery bandwagon and are loving it as much as we are!...

Mama Earth Organic Food Boxes get delivered to the studio every Wednesday evening. Not only is the price comparable with the supermarkets, but we really like that it forces you to eat one box by the time you get next week’s. If you have no strict shopping times you’ll have a lot of fruit and veg going off. This controls food waste, and makes you eat healthily and even try tasty new foods.)

Kevin

PS – We’re not financially affiliated with Mama Earth in any way. Other than that we get their box each week, and they were nice enough to offer 10% to anyone who picks up from the studio so that they can save the driver some time and gas.

Everyone loves a river-sweating Cardio Blast, a muscle-burning Fighting Fit class, and an ab-grinding TRX session (right?). But how do you let muscles heal, keep working at a relatively high intensity, remain injury free, and stay focused on your goals. The answer is a great RECOVERY system. Listed below are 5 of the most common methods to keep your engine firing at 100%.

Whole Foods

Have a healthy snack or meal within 30 minutes of finishing your exercise. Bananas, whole grains, low-fat yoghurt, and tuna promote muscle regeneration, and faster recovery.

Drink

You need to hydrate, and the healthiest way is to drink water and lots of it - 8 glasses a day at least, more if you are exercising. You can take the PEE TEST to see if you have rehydrated properly.

Everyone’s raving about chocolate milk at the minute. It has a good mix of carbs, protein and fat, and is better than a sports drink. BUT don’t use this as an excuse to stock up your fridge with this stuff. It should be taken moderately, and not consumed with your regular meals.

Avoid vitamin water, and soda pop, as they are loaded with sugar, and you’ll pay for its short-term refreshment.

Meditation

Watching Honey Boo Boo barf on the floor after a cookie binge is not positive “mental stimulation”, it’s just mental, (as are the people who watch it!). Positive mental, and spiritual stimulation in this case can be opera music, a Yin or Restorative Yoga class, reading a book, lying in the middle of the quiet ocean on a yacht.

Find a space where you can zone out, and relax the mind. If you need help, there are plenty of free meditative audio readings floating around the internet.

Sleep

The best of all recovery methods, and you probably aren’t getting enough of it! Proper sleep increases energy, performance, and focus levels. It also decreases the feeling of fatigue, and stress.

Get 8 hours each night, and try and wake up at the same time every morning regardless of when you go to bed. Your body loves routine, which is why it’s difficult to begin exercising in the first place.

Active Release (Stretching/Foam Roller)

This is the physical equivalent of meditation. Stretching daily, whether you have a workout planned that day or not, will maintain and improve your flexibility. Rolling will help release tight muscles and correct any imbalances. A cheap person’s massage! You can find some awesome exercises right HERE!

So there you go, the 5 best ways to recover from exercise. Don’t forget to align your recovery options with your goals. If you want to lose weight, don’t eat or drink high calorie items to recover after your next Stack Attack marathon.

See you at the studio.

Kevin

NOTE: You’ll notice that protein shakes, and bars are not listed here. We all have busy lives, and these are a popular choice for snack/meal replacements on the go. If you can’t find the time to balance the 5 options above, be careful and read the label of ingredients. Just because it says “Protein Bar” doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Go for lower sugar, calorie & additive options.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that 77% of North Americans are not getting enough of (scary!).  The vitamin works with calcium in your body to build strong bones and regulate the immune system. We can all use a little extra help preventing the flu, right?  Common knowledge states the most common and easiest way to ingest vitamin D is the sun, but what about those cold dark Canadian winter days? Or when you’re stuck inside more than you are out?  The answer is… food!

There are various foods containing vitamin D:

• Fortified milk
• Fatty fish like tuna or salmon
• Eggs
  

The development of your children’s bones occurs at a young age, so it’s important to have enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet.  In children it will help protect against rickets and osteomalacia (softening of bones) as you age.  Post-menopausal women, who already have an increased risk of osteoporosis can slow bone loss by taking vitamin D.

Although there isn’t one set of recommendation of how long to be in the sun, to obtain the necessary levels of vitamin D is around 10-15 minutes. HOWEVER, the amount of absorption can depend on the season, time, length, cloud coverage, smog, sunscreen, windows, and skin type and colour.  To know how much you need you should contact your health care provider and for more information visit:

umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-d-000340.htm

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-QuickFacts/

Michelle